Our story begins with a 1939 comic and a masked man hidden in the shadows.

"The Bat-Man, a mysterious and adventurous figure, fighting for righteousness and apprehending the wrong doer, in his lone battle against the evil forces of society … his identity remains unknown."

With that opening, writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane launched the character of Batman in Detective Comics No. 27.

Fans of the superhero had the chance to read the original comic and others in a free special edition comic book released by DC Entertainment on Wednesday. It commemorated the 75th anniversary of the character whose identity is no longer a mystery.

Wednesday was also dubbed Batman Day. Twitter and Facebook were full of memes and tributes to the Caped Crusader. Barnes & Noble and comic book stores across the country held events to give out the free comic book and other Batman memorabilia.

Southern Fried Comics in Hattiesburg hosted an event for kids with Batman masks, a drawing contest and a blue-frosted cake with a night skyline on the sides and a frosted bat on top. Owner Barry Herring was hanging drawings on the store's walls.

"I think, for me, it's because he's a regular person," Herring said of Batman's popularity. "He has achieved a physical state by just training. He's what someone could be."

Batman fans at Barnes & Noble and Comic Commander, both in Ridgeland, agreed. They said they love the superhero because he actually isn't very super at all. And that might be why he's remained popular for generations.

Batman was never bitten by a radioactive spider. He wasn't born on a foreign planet and rocketed to Earth. Chris Zuga, manager of Comic Commander, pointed out that his only superpower is a fat bank account.

"Batman could be anybody," said Paul Bach, a fan since childhood.

Bruce Wayne became Batman after his parents were killed by a mugger. He then devoted his life to fighting criminals to avenge their deaths.

The Batman world, said Deirdra Harris Glover of Jackson, is driven to the brink by loss and rage.

"The villains have a similar story to Bruce Wayne, and it drives them to madness," Glover said. "He's not very different from the people he fights."

Many comic book fans agreed Wednesday that Batman has some of the best villains.

The recent "Dark Knight" movie trilogy certainly helped Batman's popularity with the next generation. Zuga said when kids come into the comic book shop they want Batman comics. Aquaman, Wonder Woman and The Flash all paid tribute to Batman by featuring him on recent comic covers. It suggests the hero will be saving children and people from boredom for generations to come.

Lee Shirley of Madison knows the feeling. He was personally saved from boredom by Batman.

In 1990 Shirley was "forced to undergo the excruciating torture that was clothes shopping with my mom and sister," he told The Clarion-Ledger in an email. After the family wandered around Northpark all day, the Dark Knight came to the rescue.

The family was walking toward the exit of Dillards when they spotted a Batman holding a Nintendo. Shirley and his sister entered their names into a drawing. And POW! The family went home with a new Nintendo.